CoffeeScript is not natively supported in PhantomJS versions 2.0.0 and above. If you are going to use CoffeeScript you’ll have to transpile it into vanilla Javascript. See known issues for more details.

Versions before 1.1.0-beta4 that were installed through npm required an unspecific PhantomJS version by means of an npm dependency. This led to lots of confusion and issues against CasperJS not working properly if installed through npm. Starting with 1.1.0 the installation of an engine (PhantomJS, SlimerJS) will be a real prerequisite, regardless of the installation method you choose for CasperJS.

While CasperJS is installable via npm, it is not a NodeJS module and will not work with NodeJS out of the box. You cannot load casper by using require(‘casperjs’) in node. Note that CasperJS is not capable of using a vast majority of NodeJS modules out there. Experiment and use your best judgement.